1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an electrosurgical system having a generator for generating radio-frequency (RF) power and an electrosurgical instrument configured for a two way communication with the generator to exchange data information therebetween.
2. Background of Related Art
Electrosurgical instruments have become widely used by surgeons in recent years. Accordingly, a need has developed for equipment and instruments which are easy to handle, are reliable and are safe in an operating environment. By and large, most electrosurgical instruments are hand-held instruments, e.g., an electrosurgical instrument, which transfer radio-frequency (RF) electrical energy to a tissue site. The electrosurgical energy is returned to the electrosurgical source via a return electrode pad positioned under a patient (e.g., a monopolar system configuration) or a smaller return electrode positionable in bodily contact with or immediately adjacent to the surgical site (e.g., in a bipolar system configuration). The waveforms produced by the RF source yield a predetermined electrosurgical effect known generally as electrosurgical cutting and fulguration.
In bipolar electrosurgery, one of the electrodes of the hand-held instrument functions as the active electrode and the other as the return electrode. The return electrode is placed in close proximity to the active electrode such that an electrical circuit is formed between the two electrodes (e.g., electrosurgical forceps). In this manner, the applied electrical current is limited to the body tissue positioned immediately adjacent the electrodes. When the electrodes are sufficiently separated from one another, the electrical circuit is open and thus inadvertent contact with body tissue with either of the separated electrodes does not cause current to flow.
In particular, electrosurgical fulguration includes the application of electric spark to biological tissue, for example, human flesh or the tissue of internal organs, without significant cutting. The spark is produced by bursts of radio-frequency electrical energy generated from an appropriate electrosurgical generator. Coagulation is defined as a process of desiccating tissue wherein the tissue cells are ruptured and dehydrated/dried. Electrosurgical cutting/dissecting, on the other hand, includes applying an electrical spark to tissue in order to produce a cutting, dissecting and/or dividing effect. Blending includes the function of cutting/dissecting combined with the production of a hemostasis effect. Meanwhile, sealing/hemostasis is defined as the process of liquefying the collagen in the tissue so that it forms into a fused mass.
As used herein the term “electrosurgical instrument” is intended to include instruments which have a handpiece that is attached to an active electrode and which is used to cauterize, coagulate and/or cut tissue. Typically, the electrosurgical instrument may be operated by a hand switch or a foot switch. The active electrode is an electrically conducting element which is usually elongated and may be in the form of a thin flat blade with a pointed or rounded distal end. Alternatively, the active electrode may include an elongated narrow cylindrical needle which is solid or hollow with a flat, rounded, pointed or slanted distal end. Typically electrodes of this sort are known in the art as “blade”, “loop” or “snare”, “needle” or “ball” electrodes.
As mentioned above, the handpiece of the electrosurgical instrument is connected to a suitable electrosurgical energy source (i.e., generator) which produces the radio-frequency electrical energy necessary for the operation of the electrosurgical instrument. In general, when an operation is performed on a patient with an electrosurgical instrument, electrical energy from the electrosurgical generator is conducted through the active electrode to the tissue at the site of the operation and then through the patient to a return electrode. The return electrode is typically placed at a convenient place on the patients body and is attached to the generator by a conductive material. Typically, the surgeon activates the controls on the electrosurgical instrument to select the modes/waveforms to achieve a desired surgical effect. The “modes” relate to the various electrical waveforms, e.g., a cutting waveform has a tendency to cut tissue, a coagulating wave form has a tendency to coagulate tissue and a blend wave form is somewhere between a cut and coagulate waveform. The power or energy parameters are typically controlled from outside the sterile field which requires an intermediary like a circulating nurse to make such adjustment.
Electrosurgical generators have numerous controls for selecting an electrosurgical output. For example, the surgeon can select various surgical “modes” to treat tissue: cut, blend (blend levels 1-3), low cut, desiccate, fulgurate, spray, etc. The surgeon also has the option of selecting a range of power settings typically ranging from 1-300 W. As can be appreciated, this gives the surgeon a great deal of variety when treating tissue. However, conventional electrosurgical systems have one way communication from the generator to the electrosurgical instrument. A conventional electrosurgical instrument is a passive device. The generator typically performs any active query of the state of the switches, slider, device identification, etc., while the electrosurgical instrument has no computational or active processing capability.
Moreover, surgeons typically follow preset control parameters and stay within known modes and power settings. Further, some electrosurgical instruments are frequently recommended as “single use” instrument. To this end, during surgery, a surgeon may have to replace the electrosurgical instrument before completing the operation for various reasons, such as instrument failure. The new instrument, however, may not have current usage information that may aid the surgeon. For example, during surgery using the old instrument, the power intensity had to be adjusted to a higher level due to the unique tissue of the patient. This higher level of intensity typically would not be recognized by the new instrument.